DEPARTMENT of Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rossel-Ubial will lead the contract signing and groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of P324.57 million facilities at the Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) on Monday, February 6.
Dr. Romeo Ong, ZCMC chief, said the projects will include the construction of P90-million Emergency and Critical Care Center (ECCC) and P234.57-million five-storey Central Block Tower 1.
Of the total cost of P90 million, P50 million will be used for the construction of the ECCC building while the remaining P40 million will be used to purchase the facility’s needed medical equipments.
Ong said the ECCC will house the laboratory, X-ray, operating room for trauma cases, women and child protection unit, pharmacy and beds for critical care.
The ECCC will be constructed by the Benram Construction firm that won in the bidding of the P90 million project.
Ong said the Central Block Tower 1 will house the Departments of Surgery, Pediatrics, Surgical and Pediatrics Intensive Care Unit, Pediatrics Cancer Unit, Burnt Unit, Geriatrics Unit, 20 private rooms, chapel and conference room.
The Aimm Builder and Construction Supply will build the five-storey Tower 1 building.
Ong said the funding for the construction of the two multi-million projects came from the income of ZCMC and congressional appropriations through the initiatives of District 1 Representative Celso Lobregat.
Ong added they are thankful to Lobregat for his efforts in sourcing out funds for the realization of the projects.
Lobregat vowed to continue sourcing out funds for the construction of the other lined up projects at the ZCMC, which include the construction of the P109-million Central Tower Block 2 and P20-million upgrading of the Medical Gas Plant and various hospital and medical equipment.
Ong and Lobregat conducted an ocular inspection of the project sites on Sunday, February 5, following a meeting with Health Undersecretary for Administration, Finance and Procurement Achilles Gerard Bravo, who arrived in Zamboanga City.
The completion of the projects will further improve the services of the ZCMC.
The ZCMC caters to patients not only from the Zamboanga Peninsula (Western Mindanao) but also those from the nearby regions and the provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. (SunStar Philippines)